We made it through a chilly week here in Stowe, and Mother Nature decided to warm up enough to get many of us outside for almost a full hour on Friday afternoon! On to this week's news.
School Calendar for 2015
If you haven't already seen the updated school closures for 2015, check it out below. If you have any questions, feel free to let us know.
January 1st: New Years Day
January 19th: MLK Jr. Day
February 16th: Presidents Day
March 3rd: Town Meeting Day
April 24th: In-Service Day
May 25th: Memorial Day
July 3rd: In Observance of Independence Day
August 17th: In-Service Day
September 7th: Labor Day
October 16th: In-Service Day
November 11th: Veterans Day
November 26th and 27th: Thanksgiving
December 24th and 25th: Christmas
December 31st: New Years Eve
Free Range Babies: Unrestrained Movement, Honoring Sensory Development and Why "Contraptions" Have No Place at MVS
Every now and again, we stumble across different research, books and articles that really make us go, "Exactly!" "How Babies Learn, the Wisdom of Grandmothers," seems to be just that article. In many ways it gets to the heart of our philosophy on babies here at Mountain Village School. We'd encourage you to give this article a read, it's packed with incredible insights from Lois Ingellis and Arlene Rider, two grandmothers who have spent over the last 30 years working in early childhood education. Find the full text here.
Here's a few important takeaways:
1. Allow babies to move freely.
You might find yourself walking into an infant classroom here at school to find several babies laying, stretching, rolling and crawling on the floor. And this is the norm with the exception of sleeping; babies are given the opportunity to safely explore their environment, bodies and senses without constrictions. This does not only benefit their cognitive development, but it also aids in their physical development. Baby's neck and core muscles as well as spine are developing, and placing them into "containers" such as playpens, jumpers, swings or walkers does not serve this development well, and in fact, could inhibit it. (See the article for Dr. Carla Hannaford's research that backs this up.)
2. Children rely on their senses to learn.
Children are constantly taking in new information about the world around them, and the carrier of that information comes in the form of their senses. Giving infants the space to explore their senses is a valuable practice. An infant does not need "entertainment" so much as she needs sensory time. To be sure, that does not need to come in the form of a basket full of shiny toys or a light up mobile with twelve different sounds. Rather, babies can experience the joy of using their hands, listen to the different voices and noises around them, or feel the warmth of touch as they are held. Madga Gerber may have said it best in that we want, "Active babies and passive toys instead of passive babies and active toys."
3. And of course, a poem that brings all these ideas together pretty succinctly:
Babies need to be held
They cannot be 'in something' long stretches of time
They must hold up their heads and strengthen their spines
Holding onto you, exercises posture and core
And they learn on their own, when left on the floor
While you move about, babies adjust,
Gain control of their bodies, no doubt it's a must
Car seats are wonderful inventions to use,
While you're out and about and shopping for shoes
But…take babies out when you go into the house!
Development begins head first - spine down - trunk out
Babies need un-constrained time to move about
Baby seats, swings, commercial constraints
Risk limp muscled children with; "I'm tired" complaints
Classroom Happenings
Infant I: The week seemed to be a quiet one as the babies spent the week indoors and out of the cold and windy weather. Instead of outdoor adventures, the children spent time painting, reading and just hunkering down…what good Vermonters! The children also enjoyed rolling tennis balls on the floor, and some of the babies are rolling them back and forth to their teachers or friends.
Infant II: The class worked hard to stay active despite their stay indoors. They utilized the hallway to play with scooters and spent time on the climber in their classroom. Additionally, they did several art projects and sensory activities as well. The class also welcomed two new students this week!
Toddler I: Our three new children have made some great strides this week. The older children have also done a fantastic job helping their younger friends along with some of the expectations and routines. For parents concerned about protecting faces from the cold or wind, feel free to send in scarves or face masks. We have also found products like Aquaphor and Dermatone to be helpful, and we are happy to apply them before outside time. One request from Melissa and Hannah: As the cubbies are accessible to the students during the day, please remove any choking hazards from the children's bags, and if you have medications for your child, please hand them off to us. Thanks so much!
Toddler II: Time was spent working on a variety of art projects this week. One new activity the class tried was using stamps and ink. The kids worked hard on the concept of stamping with the rubber side down. The class also did paintings and collages, and the collages will be hung in the classroom next week. This week the long hall was was used for active games, including one game where children ran as fast as they could from one end of the hallway to the next while all their friends cheered them on.
Pre-K: The highlight of the week for the Pre-K kids was certainly painting with their feet. The children continue their investigation on bears, and they cut out bear footprints as they made prints of their own feet. They went on to compare and contrast the various prints. The class also had a visit from Tibbit and Huckle, as the bunnies hopped around in the block area. Later in the week, the children decided it would be important to build block enclosures for the stuffed bunny in their classroom. The older children did bundle up and make it to the library this week for story time and some outside adventures.
As Seen at MVS
Thanks for Reading!
Enjoy the (slightly) warmer temps. -Sam
School Calendar for 2015
If you haven't already seen the updated school closures for 2015, check it out below. If you have any questions, feel free to let us know.
January 1st: New Years Day
January 19th: MLK Jr. Day
February 16th: Presidents Day
March 3rd: Town Meeting Day
April 24th: In-Service Day
May 25th: Memorial Day
July 3rd: In Observance of Independence Day
August 17th: In-Service Day
September 7th: Labor Day
October 16th: In-Service Day
November 11th: Veterans Day
November 26th and 27th: Thanksgiving
December 24th and 25th: Christmas
December 31st: New Years Eve
Free Range Babies: Unrestrained Movement, Honoring Sensory Development and Why "Contraptions" Have No Place at MVS
Every now and again, we stumble across different research, books and articles that really make us go, "Exactly!" "How Babies Learn, the Wisdom of Grandmothers," seems to be just that article. In many ways it gets to the heart of our philosophy on babies here at Mountain Village School. We'd encourage you to give this article a read, it's packed with incredible insights from Lois Ingellis and Arlene Rider, two grandmothers who have spent over the last 30 years working in early childhood education. Find the full text here.
Here's a few important takeaways:
1. Allow babies to move freely.
You might find yourself walking into an infant classroom here at school to find several babies laying, stretching, rolling and crawling on the floor. And this is the norm with the exception of sleeping; babies are given the opportunity to safely explore their environment, bodies and senses without constrictions. This does not only benefit their cognitive development, but it also aids in their physical development. Baby's neck and core muscles as well as spine are developing, and placing them into "containers" such as playpens, jumpers, swings or walkers does not serve this development well, and in fact, could inhibit it. (See the article for Dr. Carla Hannaford's research that backs this up.)
2. Children rely on their senses to learn.
Children are constantly taking in new information about the world around them, and the carrier of that information comes in the form of their senses. Giving infants the space to explore their senses is a valuable practice. An infant does not need "entertainment" so much as she needs sensory time. To be sure, that does not need to come in the form of a basket full of shiny toys or a light up mobile with twelve different sounds. Rather, babies can experience the joy of using their hands, listen to the different voices and noises around them, or feel the warmth of touch as they are held. Madga Gerber may have said it best in that we want, "Active babies and passive toys instead of passive babies and active toys."
3. And of course, a poem that brings all these ideas together pretty succinctly:
Babies need to be held
They cannot be 'in something' long stretches of time
They must hold up their heads and strengthen their spines
Holding onto you, exercises posture and core
And they learn on their own, when left on the floor
While you move about, babies adjust,
Gain control of their bodies, no doubt it's a must
Car seats are wonderful inventions to use,
While you're out and about and shopping for shoes
But…take babies out when you go into the house!
Development begins head first - spine down - trunk out
Babies need un-constrained time to move about
Baby seats, swings, commercial constraints
Risk limp muscled children with; "I'm tired" complaints
Infant I: The week seemed to be a quiet one as the babies spent the week indoors and out of the cold and windy weather. Instead of outdoor adventures, the children spent time painting, reading and just hunkering down…what good Vermonters! The children also enjoyed rolling tennis balls on the floor, and some of the babies are rolling them back and forth to their teachers or friends.
Infant II: The class worked hard to stay active despite their stay indoors. They utilized the hallway to play with scooters and spent time on the climber in their classroom. Additionally, they did several art projects and sensory activities as well. The class also welcomed two new students this week!
Toddler I: Our three new children have made some great strides this week. The older children have also done a fantastic job helping their younger friends along with some of the expectations and routines. For parents concerned about protecting faces from the cold or wind, feel free to send in scarves or face masks. We have also found products like Aquaphor and Dermatone to be helpful, and we are happy to apply them before outside time. One request from Melissa and Hannah: As the cubbies are accessible to the students during the day, please remove any choking hazards from the children's bags, and if you have medications for your child, please hand them off to us. Thanks so much!
Toddler II: Time was spent working on a variety of art projects this week. One new activity the class tried was using stamps and ink. The kids worked hard on the concept of stamping with the rubber side down. The class also did paintings and collages, and the collages will be hung in the classroom next week. This week the long hall was was used for active games, including one game where children ran as fast as they could from one end of the hallway to the next while all their friends cheered them on.
Pre-K: The highlight of the week for the Pre-K kids was certainly painting with their feet. The children continue their investigation on bears, and they cut out bear footprints as they made prints of their own feet. They went on to compare and contrast the various prints. The class also had a visit from Tibbit and Huckle, as the bunnies hopped around in the block area. Later in the week, the children decided it would be important to build block enclosures for the stuffed bunny in their classroom. The older children did bundle up and make it to the library this week for story time and some outside adventures.
As Seen at MVS
Enjoy the (slightly) warmer temps. -Sam
s Eve